Constant
by tigersbride
Summary: During and after the 'non-date', post-jacksonville ideas may contain spoilers as other episodes air .
1. Chapter 1

**Just some other ideas I had for the immediate hours after Jacksonville/Peter. **

**Hope you like it :)**

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"Weird day, huh" he asked rhetorically, reflecting on the recent turbulence between universes as he opened the car door for her. "Do you think that there are more than just these two?"

She climbed into the back of the cab, smiling in her bemused, lopsided manner. "Thanks" she mumbled uncomfortably. "I think there probably are, I mean we already know that there are two, why not hundreds, thousands even? You'd have to ask Walter"

"Reckon that there's somewhere you and I are together?" he chanced. Normally he never even dream of breaching the topic, but after their painstakingly almost romantic breakthrough earlier, Peter felt like playing God for his own life, for a change.

"Define together" she queried in reply as the cab pulled away.

"You know... boyfriend and girlfriend, married with children!" he grinned, half surprised at himself.

"Children?" she giggled, "in our job?"

He chuckled in response, assuming this would be the only answer he got.

Olivia was quiet for a moment. "What makes you think we'd ever be like that?" she challenged, the tone of her voice and the faint flush on her pale, dimly lit cheekbones was enough to assure him this was an invitation and not a rejection.

"Well, we're both married to our jobs and to Boston, due to Walter's uncanny ability to keep saving the world. We're both single, early thirties, with little social life, and working so closely creates a lot of pent up sexual frustration" he declared with a wink, "as apparent this afternoon".

Olivia laughed. He loved it when she laughed. He sighed as they pulled to a stop in the parking lot outside the bar they'd selected; conversation over.

"You grab a seat, I'll get drinks?" she offered. "What are you having?"

"A corona for me please".

* * *

After a few drinks, Olivia had begun to feel quite tipsy, having forgotten how little it took her to get drunk while her mind churned her present situation. She decided to slow down, casually sipping her cocktail.

She had felt protected, she had felt safe, but most importantly she had felt that she had found someone who truly understood her, who was maybe even meant for her. But how could he be? Who was this man sitting in front of her, laughing and flirting. So many questions needed answering and so many lies needed telling. She felt almost disgusted at herself for having allowed herself to feel almost romantic about this man who she realised she should never have known. Was this even the man she met in Iraq? With all the shapeshifters and people who wanted to hurt her out there, she trusted no one. But where was _her_ Peter? The one from _her _universe?

'Liv?" came his voice, gently stirring her from her thoughts.

"Oh... sorry, I was just thinking"

"You have been all night" he smirked. "What's on your mind?"

"Private things" She snapped, perhaps a little too brusquely for the hurt look on his face.

"Oh... ok" he faked a smile.

Seeing his disappointment shocked Olivia back into rational thinking, or at least obvious thinking. As far as she was aware, she reasoned, no intruder Peter would be likely to make a pass at her, or be upset that she wasn't confiding in him. She concluded, at least, that this man was the Peter she had known from the start, the one she felt things for. The questioned still remained however, where was this universe's Peter?

"Peter... sorry... that was rude" she began her apology, holding her hand out for his. "I've just been so distracted tonight with the events of today... I've been ignoring you".

He loosened up and nodded as acceptance of her apology. "It's ok, I just thought I'd done something!" he said, relieved as he took her outstretched hand. "I thought maybe I'd gone too far with the comments earlier"

"No" she laughed. This man did like her, did _want _her, and she wanted him too. He was still her Peter, her constant, she just didn't know how long he would be constant for.

* * *

He turned the key to the door of he and Walter's house, smiling to himself about how much Olivia had perked up after interrupting her thoughts. Trying not to make too much noise as he crept through the hallway, he realised his efforts were unnecessary as he heard the laughter coming from the living room.

"Yes!" shot Astrid's cheerful voice, "Piccadilly! 22 bucks please Walter!"

"Oh shoot" Walter sulked. Peter walked into the room to find him reluctantly counting out Astrid's rent. "Oh! Peter! How was your date? How was Agent Dunham?" the questions had already started.

He chuckled and faked an irritated look. "It was _not _a date, Walter, but she's fine".

"I guess we better wrap this up Walter" suggested Astrid, "let's just say I won?" she smiled and winked at him as he returned to his bad loser state of mind.

"Do you want to stay, Astrid?" Peter asked, aware that it was late. "I can sleep on the couch if you like?"

"No no really, it's fine" she smiled sweetly. "You'll need your rest for work tomorrow; it's only a few minutes' drive."

"You sure?" he offered, to which she nodded and grabbed her coat.

"Night" she said "Walter, we'll have to finish that game sometime soon".

He nodded to her almost hungrily as she left through the door, Peter showing her out. As he returned Walter's face became noticeably more solemn.

"How was Agent Dunham really?" he asked, "Did she seem upset?"

Peter was taken aback by the question; "She seemed a bit off at first... why? What do you know? What's wrong with her?" he asked, his panic becoming apparent in his tone.

"Oh... nothing, nothing, I just mean after today! Re-experiencing those childhood nightmares must have been horrible for her..." Walter trailed off, leaving Peter blissfully but falsely relieved. He smiled, but thought perhaps he had been a bit insensitive earlier if he had not realised that it was her past that was affecting her. Maybe he had just been too excited to be seeing her outside of work.

"Come on Walter, let's go to bed" Peter decided after putting Monopoly back in the cupboard. The father and son climbed the stairs and each went to their bedroom, exchanging a simple "goodnight" on the landing.

As he climbed into bed he reflected on the day he'd had. They'd come so close to nearly failing a case, and this had sparked the buried fear in Olivia that had made his need to comfort her win over his reasoning, and pull her closer to him. But she had moved away, crushing him, until she had asked him out for drinks after her success in locating the building. He recalled the way she'd looked at him when she had arrived at the door, it was like she had just met him, it wasn't appreciative or negative, just new, and he could have sworn there were hints of shock and fear within it.

He was just falling asleep as he heard the front door go downstairs. This shook him from succumbing to slumber, spurring him to sit up in bed and blink heavily. He pulled away the covers and grabbed a t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms, pulling them on. Stepping outside his bedroom door and heading for the steps, he listened for any hint that someone unexpected might be downstairs. Taking a quick look around the ground floor and acknowledging that the car was still outside, he concluded that it was his mind playing tricks on him, as he had decided before, it was late. Knowing that Walter would already be asleep by now, he decided not to disturb him and risk having to sing nursery rhymes to lull him back into slumber, so instead went straight back to his bed, and flicked off the light.

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**Well, that's chapter one, and I'm gonna upload chapter two straight away because it's already written and waiting for you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_She's running through the forest, and you're running behind. The hand she holds is small and belongs to a blonde haired girl, who's struggling to keep up pace with the two of you. You don't know what you're running from, except that it's coming for you, it's dangerous, and although you've escaped it so far, it's inevitable. The girl looks behind her as she runs to keep up with the older woman. You don't recognise her, but her bright blue eyes look familiar. You're being caught up, fast. You shout for them to go on, that you'll try and hold it off and if you can manage you'll find them again, and that you love them. The girl, you realise, is your daughter, and her mother looks at you in that unfamiliar way where you know she is seeing more than she is letting on. "Don't do it" she begs, "don't leave me". You tell her it will be fine, you'll be together one day, and she runs on with your only child. You stand and turn around to face your fears. You see the portal, and know it is your fate. _

The cold sweat layering Peter's forehead confused him. He knew had had just experienced a very odd dream that had made more sense than he had wanted it to, and yet he had forgotten it simultaneous to waking. He only remembered a pair of bright blue eyes. He jumped slightly as he heard the vibrations of his phone, which, he assumed, was why he awoke in the first place. He reached for his table lamp and switched it on, picked up his cell and flicked it open.

"Olivia?" he queried, looking at the time. "Is it another case? Bloody hell it's 4am. Why is it always so late?"

"It's not another case" she said timidly, and he wondered if she was upset. "Look I don't want to have to explain but I'm outside. Will you let me in?"

Something big was up, he decided, and Walter definitely knew more than he was letting on. "Sure... I'll be right down" he said, and rummaged for the same t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms he'd donned last night. As he crept down the stairs he hastily tried to think of any explanation for why his Olivia would be outside at such a strange moment, but thought of nothing, while another part of his mind was trying to remember his dream.

He opened the front door and stepped back, inviting Olivia inside. Shutting the door behind him, he turned toward her and put a hand on her forearm, leading her onto the couch where he faced her.

"Liv..." he began, wondering how best to tease her burden out of her.

"Peter don't, please." Olivia put her head in her hands, rubbed her face and then leant backward. "Let's ignore all that."

"I'm just worried about you" he confessed. "And Walter knows, doesn't he."

"I promised I wouldn't say, believe me I wanted to, but I promised I wouldn't, not yet anyway. Please Peter just trust me on this one, Walter will tell you when he needs to"

* * *

After she'd said this, Olivia sighed. It was going to be far more difficult than she had anticipated keeping this from him. Even now she sat there watching his glimmer remind her of the horrible truth. She placed a hand on his to try and comfort him as she knew that denying him answers would just be frustrating him, eating him up inside, and yet he respected her enough to wait. She'd dropped Walter home after his explanation; he'd walked over carrying the window, which had likely taken him a good hour. After she'd let him out of the car she'd sat there for a while, considering her options: 1. Tell Peter, risk losing him and everything they were working on, and possibly put the planet at risk. 2. Stay as far away from him as possible so that when he inevitably did have to leave, it wouldn't hurt her, or 3. Make them both happy while it was still an option, try and save the world, and be whatever he wanted her to be.

"Liv, I trust you to do the right thing, but I don't like it at all" he confided with a resigned look of worry on his face.

"I'm sorry" she said, squeezing his palm between her fingers and smiling sadly. They sat in silence for a moment, taking advantage of this she shuffled slightly closer to him and leant her forehead on his shoulder. He snaked his arm around her shoulder in reply, stroking her hair with his fingers.

"Have you slept?" He asked her quietly, noticing as she yawned.

"No... actually" she admitted.

"Take my bed for the rest of the night, I'll have the couch" Peter suggested, smiling.

"Peter..." she started, not quite confident enough at flirting to know quite how to say what she thought. "I think we're good enough friends to share a bed aren't we?"

He grinned at this, and she noticed him gain that spark of interest he acquired when he was being flirtatious. Her awareness of this only heightened her own intrigue, and she smiled as she stood up and turned towards the stairs, beckoning him to follow in what she hoped was a seductive manner, and that she didn't just seem a fool.

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"Yeah, I think you're right" he replied with a slight, telling gasp. He followed as she led him to his own room, somewhat confused but very willing as she started to unbutton her shirt, the soft contours of her back becoming visible as she dropped it to the ground.

She sat down on the bed, removing her trousers and socks, then lay back. Pulling off, for the second time this evening, the t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms he had put on to go downstairs, he followed suit, lying down next to her so that their eyes were parallel. Despite the fact that he knew she was watching his eye movement, the temptation was too great and he could not resist looking her up and down, taking in her perfect curves, accentuated by lace black underwear. She had a lot more than he gave her credit for, he noticed. Slightly embarrassed, he looked back at her eyes calmly, putting his hand on her shoulder and putting slight pressure on it so that she started to lean in toward him. Following suit, he moved slowly until their lips were mere centimetres apart. He was surprised when she took the leap and broke the gap between them, her soft, eager mouth meeting his. He kissed her back desperately, hungrily letting his body take control over his mind. He moved his lips to her neck, causing her to gasp and let out quiet, but moan-like noises.

"Peter" she groaned, moving her hands lower down his back as she caught his mouth back with her own. All reasoning had abandoned him as he realised just who he was with. Olivia Dunham, the confident, closed FBI agent who normally wouldn't even dream of acting like this.

But he wasn't complaining.

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**Hope you like it, next chapter will be up soon.**


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